Poker guide
Tournaments
Same buy-in, same chips, blinds going up until one player has them all. How tournaments work, and every format you will see on a schedule.
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In a tournament everyone pays the same entry fee and gets the same number of chips. The blinds go up at set times, players are knocked out when they lose all their chips, and the last players standing share the prize pool. Tournament chips have no cash value — what matters is how long you survive and where you finish.
How a tournament works
- Buy-in: written like "$100 + $10" — $100 goes into the prize pool, $10 is the organiser's fee.
- Starting stack: everyone gets the same chips, e.g. 20,000.
- Blind levels: blinds (and later antes) go up every level — anything from 3 to 60 minutes. Rising blinds force action and make sure the tournament ends.
- Tables break: as players bust, tables are closed and players moved, until the final table.
- The bubble: the last place before the prizes start. Once it "bursts", everyone left is "in the money" (ITM).
Example blind structure (15-minute levels)
| Level | Small blind | Big blind | Big blind ante | Starting stack in bb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 200 | 200 | 100 bb |
| 2 | 200 | 300 | 300 | 67 bb |
| 3 | 200 | 400 | 400 | 50 bb |
| 4 | 300 | 600 | 600 | 33 bb |
| 5 | 400 | 800 | 800 | 25 bb |
| 6 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 20 bb |
| …and so on, with a 20,000 starting stack. Everyone's stack shrinks in big blinds unless they win chips. | ||||
How prizes are paid
Usually around 10–20% of the field gets paid, and the payouts climb steeply towards the top. A typical example for 100 players with a $10,000 prize pool:
| Place | Share | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 30% | $3,000 |
| 2nd | 20% | $2,000 |
| 3rd | 12.5% | $1,250 |
| 4th–6th | 7.5% / 6% / 5% | $750 / $600 / $500 |
| 7th–9th | 4% / 3.5% / 3% | $400 / $350 / $300 |
| 10th–12th | 2.83% each | $283 each |
Tournament formats
By how you enter
Freezeout
One entry, one life. Lose your chips and you're out.
Re-entry
If you bust during the late-registration period, you can pay again and start a fresh stack, often with a limit on the number of entries.
Rebuy & add-on
During the rebuy period you can buy more chips when you're low or busted. At the end of it, everyone may buy one "add-on" of extra chips.
Multi-day & flights
Big events run over several days. Day 1 can have several "flights" (starting days); survivors from each meet on Day 2.
By speed and depth
Deepstack
Big starting stacks (often 200+ bb) and longer levels — more room to play poker.
Turbo
Short levels (often 5–10 minutes). Blinds catch up fast, so it's over quickly.
Hyper-turbo
Very short levels and shallow stacks: lots of all-ins, finished in under an hour.
By how prizes work
Bounty / Knockout (KO)
Part of every buy-in is a bounty on that player's head. Knock someone out and you collect it instantly.
Progressive Knockout (PKO)
When you knock someone out, you get half their bounty in cash and the other half is added to your own bounty — so big stacks become valuable targets.
Mystery Bounty
Bounties start in the late stages. Each knockout lets you draw a random bounty envelope — which could be small or a huge top prize.
Satellite
The prizes are entries ("seats") into a bigger tournament. All seat winners get the same prize, so survival is everything.
Freeroll
Free to enter, with prizes put up by the organiser.
Guaranteed (GTD)
The organiser promises a minimum prize pool. If not enough players enter, they pay the difference — the "overlay".
By size
Multi-table (MTT)
Anything from dozens to thousands of players across many tables, with a scheduled start time.
Sit & Go (SNG)
Starts as soon as enough players sign up — often a single table of 6 or 9. Usually top 2–3 paid.
Jackpot Sit & Go
Fast three-player hyper-turbos where the prize pool is drawn at random before the start, from 2× the buy-in up to a rare huge multiplier.
Heads-up
One-on-one matches, sometimes in a bracket where winners advance each round.
Shootout
You must win your table to advance — tables don't break and players don't move.
Tournament terms
| Late registration | You can join after the start, until a set level. You get the full starting stack, but the blinds are higher. |
| Big blind ante (BBA) | Instead of every player posting an ante, the big blind pays it for the whole table. Faster and now standard. |
| Colour-up / chip race | Small chips that are no longer needed are swapped for bigger ones during a break. |
| Hand-for-hand | Near the bubble, all tables play one hand at a time so nobody can stall to sneak into the money. |
| ICM | The Independent Chip Model: a way to turn chip stacks into their real prize-money value. It's why risking your tournament life near the money is usually a bad idea. |
| Deal / chop | At the final table, remaining players may agree to split the remaining prize money — evenly, by chip count, or by ICM. |
How tournament play differs
- Survival has value. Doubling your chips doesn't double your expected prize, and busting ends your event. Near the bubble and at final tables, avoid marginal all-ins.
- Stack sizes keep shrinking. With 15–25 bb, preflop shoves become a key move. Under 10 bb, it's mostly "push or fold".
- Steal the blinds and antes. Once antes kick in, the pot before the flop is worth fighting for.
- Watch the other stacks. Big stacks can pressure medium ones, who can't afford to call without a strong hand.
Practise playing as blinds rise: Heads Up with Legends uses a five-minute tournament-style blind clock.
Running a home tournament
- Set the buy-in and prizes: e.g. 8 players, top 2 or 3 paid (roughly 65/35 or 50/30/20).
- Give a deep enough stack: around 100 bb at the starting blinds, e.g. 10,000 chips with 50/100 blinds.
- Pick a pace: 15–20 minute levels give a 3–4 hour game. Use a blind timer on a phone or laptop.
- Decide on rebuys: allow them only in the first hour, if at all, so the game ends on time.
- Plan colour-ups at breaks so you don't run out of chips for the higher blinds.
Frequently asked questions
How does a poker tournament work?
Everyone pays the same buy-in and starts with the same chips. The blinds go up at set times, players are knocked out when they lose all their chips, and the prize pool is paid to the top finishers.
What is the bubble in a poker tournament?
The last place before the prizes start. When the bubble bursts, every player left is in the money.
What is the difference between a freezeout and a re-entry?
In a freezeout you get one entry: bust and you are out. In a re-entry tournament you can pay again for a new stack during the registration period.
What is a PKO tournament?
A progressive knockout. Part of each buy-in becomes a bounty on your head. When you knock someone out you win half their bounty in cash, and the other half is added to your own bounty.
What percentage of players get paid in a tournament?
Usually about 10 to 15% of the field. First place typically wins around 15 to 25% of the prize pool, depending on the field size and payout structure.
What is a satellite tournament?
A cheaper tournament where the prizes are seats (entries) in a bigger event instead of cash.